NBL22: Bryce Cotton and Zhou Qi headline the clash between South East Melbourne Phoenix and Perth Wildcats

Zhou Qi is usually the tallest man on the court when he steps out for South East Melbourne. Bryce Cotton is small in stature but a giant of the NBL. Once teammates, they’re now foes.

One’s a 216cm giant who might just be the most well-known player in the NBL.

The other is a 182cm pocket rocket who some believe is the best to ever play in the league.

South East Melbourne’s Chinese tower Zhou Qi and Perth’s triple-MVP Bryce Cotton are the long and the short of the NBL.

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Catching up for a photo opportunity that magnified the 33cm height differential between the pair, the Wildcats’ star had fond memories of playing with Qi when the pair were teammates in the Chinese league.

“The basketball world is so small, I never would have guessed we would have crossed paths again,” Cotton said.

“But here we are and it was cool to see him again because I enjoyed my time playing in China and he was a good teammate.”

There is a 33cm height difference between South East Melbourne giant Zhou Qi and Perth Wildcats jet Bryce Cotton. Picture: Michael Klein

Qi, at 7’1” in the old scale, is used to garnering attention — especially given he is the best current player from a nation of 1.4 billion.

His jersey is the No. 1 selling of all NBL players, while Cotton is no slouch at No.5.

The former teammates will become enemies Saturday night when South East Melbourne hosts the Wildcats at John Cain Arena in the third annual Starlight Game, which has raised more than $20,000 for the children’s charity.

Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell is among those who count Cotton, a three-time NBL champion, as the league’s GOAT.

“He’s the best I’ve seen in the NBL,” Mitchell said.

“He’s a unique player. Every time you play Perth you’ve got to play them differently than you play any other opponent.

“They run everything for him, they’re very good at finding him and he’s unselfish, so if you put too much focus on him, he’ll find their other guys.

“The old days, we like to romanticise about them, but the defensive concepts today are so much more advanced than they were. That doesn’t matter to him, he just finds a rhythm in whatever you throw at him.”

Cotton and Qi are two of the biggest names in the league. Picture: Michael Klein

The Wildcats, earlier this month, whacked a Covid-depleted Phoenix by 22 points. Mitchell was forced to watch from home — he was deemed a close contact of his son, who had contracted the virus.

“I was awful,” he laughed.

“The family was there and they ended up leaving because they couldn’t be around me.

“They asked me ‘can you shut up’ and the answer was ‘no, I can’t’.

“I felt like I was letting the group down by not being able to be there. I felt helpless.”

As for Cotton, he’s not taking the Phoenix, who are directly above the ‘Cats in second on the ladder, lightly.

“They’ve been playing well all year and now they’ve got a couple of the guys back so we expect nothing less than a dogfight,” he said.

NBL TALKING POINTS: BULLETS IN TALKS WITH BOOMERS BIG MAN

Matt Logue

From the Bullets’ interest in Boomers big man Aron Baynes to NBA scouts scoping Kings star Xavier Cooks, Bryce Cotton entering the NBL’s greatest debate and the MVP race down to four, there are plenty of talking points ahead of round 13.

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Here are Matt Logue’s takes.

1. Baynes on Bullets’ radar

The Brisbane Bullets have reached out to Boomers big man Aron Baynes about the possibility of suiting up for the Bullets, as early as next season.

Baynes has previously indicated the NBL isn’t on his radar this year as he focuses on recovering from neck, arm and spinal cord injuries in a bid to return to the NBA for the 2022-2023 campaign.

Boomer Aron Baynes path back to the NBA could start at with the Brisbane Bullets.

However, it hasn’t stopped the Bullets from making inquires about the big man’s status and interest in a potential NBL stint, either before or after he makes an NBA comeback.

Baynes is determined to play a tenth NBA season and go out on his terms after injury denied him the chance to feature in the Boomers’ historic bronze medal run at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.

There are countless basketball people who believe the veteran big would benefit from a stint in the NBL to prepare his body for the NBA.

It remains to be seen whether Baynes links with Brisbane, but the Bullets’ interest is real.

2. NBA teams keen on Cooks

Sydney Kings swingman Xavier Cooks is on track to secure an NBA Summer League stint following a standout season.

Cooks has produced his finest NBL campaign to date after injury had held him back in past years.

The Kings star is averaging 13.8 points, 9.38 rebounds while he is shooting at 52 per cent from the field.

Cooks is equally efficient on the defensive end, especially with his blocks, while his three-point shot has improved although he needs more consistency from range to take the step to the NBA.

Xavier Cooks has been a standout for the Sydney Kings this season. Picture: Getty Images

It hasn’t stopped NBA scouts from keeping a close eye on the Kings forward.

One scout told me he thinks Cooks will pick up a Summer League stint, which could open the NBA door if he impresses.

Even Boomers and Illawarra Hawks coach Brian Goorjian has had NBA scouts contacting him about Cooks.

“I’m constantly getting NBA people on the phone asking about players, (including Cooks),” Goorjian told ESPN’s The Jump.

“And from the start of the season with zero about (Xavier) to now it’s a constant.

“What do you see there coach? Do you think he’ll develop the three ball, he can carry the ball, he can guard multiple positions, he plays with a high energy, and he is a tremendous teammate.

“What is there not to like – I definitely see him as a Boomer down the road and someone that is on the NBA radar.”

3. Is Cotton in the GOAT conversation?

Can Perth Wildcats superstar guard Bryce Cotton join clear leaders Andrew Gaze and Leroy Loggins in the NBL’s Greatest of All Time debate?

Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman thinks so.

“He (Bryce) has to be in the (conversation),” Vickerman said.

“It’s his consistency and he is better than your scout right now.”

Perth guard Bryce Cotton is on track to finish his career as an NBL great. Picture: Getty Images

Vickerman had the daunting challenge of trying to contain Cotton in round 11.

“You feel like you did a pretty good job on him, but he still has 31 points,” he said.

“We feel like Shae Ili is one of the better match-ups for him in the league, but Bryce is too good.

“You can stop him from catching the ball in one direction and you think you are in pretty good shape, but he is so quick that he can go the other direction.

“That then collapses the defence, and he gets a layup.

“So, to restrict Bryce, it is all five guys on the team because he causes that much attention to the defensive scout.”

4. MVP race down to four

The NBL’s MVP race is down to four players – and it’s a tight sprint to the finish.

Three-time MVP Bryce Cotton is the clear frontrunner to win the coveted award again, but there are serious contenders chasing him down.

Melbourne United big man Jo Lual-Acuil has seen his MVP price slashed from $101 into $6 as the season has progressed after proving dominant on both ends of the floor for the current ladder leaders.

Melbourne United big man Jo Lual-Acuil is in the MVP conversation this season. Picture: Getty Images

Cotton is still the market leader and the punters’ pick to land his fourth MVP award, sitting at $2 and holding an astounding fifteen times more turnover than the next best backed.

NBL legend Chris Anstey believes Perth forward Vic Law has dropped out of the MVP race while Phoenix forward Mitch Creek is his MVP favourite.

Milestone man: Tasmania JackJumpers and former Adelaide 36ers guard Jack McVeigh will play his 100th NBL game against Perth on Monday.

In honour of 22/02/22 please enjoy 2️⃣2️⃣ 3 Pointers pic.twitter.com/rTJdyit6MW

— Tasmania JackJumpers 🐜 (@JackJumpers) February 22, 2022

Key stat: The JackJumpers hit 22 three-pointers in their win over Illawarra; the equal-most in history by a team in the 40-minute era. The last team to hit as many threes – Melbourne United shot 22-from-34 against Adelaide on 15th November 2014

Originally published as NBL22: Bryce Cotton and Zhou Qi headline the clash between South East Melbourne Phoenix and Perth Wildcats